Thanks so much for this! I wonder if, when you quoted Emily Dickinson, you realized that she arrived at Mount Holyoke in 1847, the same year Esther graduated? I don’t know if they would have been there in the same academic year, but it seems possible that they would have run into each other at some point.

As an American student in England, I was warned not to say that I was middle class, because that means rich in England, and they hate the rich. (It was the 80's/Thatcher/miners’ striking). And yes, people did ask us our class.

I don’t dislike TH, but having attended an elite British Uni, I found that British upper class students are much more sheltered than Americans. I suppose that can stay with you if you don’t mingle much.

You can still buy a basic Barbie for about $5. She will probably be wearing a bikini. You can also pay hundreds, it’s all based on the clothes and hairstyles. My daughter loves the Around the World Barbies, which run about $35-50+. They’re outfitted for different countries and often have a small animal with them,…